Air King Fans - 9230 Fan Review

The Air King 9230 Floor/Box Fan is so powerful that it will blow everything in your house around. It doesn't cool, it makes an indoor hurricane. Not the best choice for circulating air and cooling off a bit on hot days. Better for industrial use or in a garage or basement then a home.

As I write this, I am remembering the havoc that the Air King 9230 Floor/Box Fan caused my poor late father a few years ago. He had not yet moved into the nursing home and was living in a senior's assisted living apartment. Although they claimed to be air conditioned, his little apartment was like a sauna.

He never really liked air conditioning anyway, preferring fans, so my sister and I set out to buy him a decent, safe fan that would keep him cool on very hot days. We chose this fan, in part, because we like Air King products and because it seemed to be made well.

It sure did work. It nearly huffed and puffed and blew my poor Dad away.

This fan stood out because it is all metal. Most of the others we were looking at were plastic and we knew our father would balk at the cheap construction. This one is steel and has aluminum/steel blades. It sits on the floor but can be tilted up or down to the angle you prefer.

This is a heavy fan, weighing more than 48 pounds. Despite its weight - or maybe because of it - it seemed to be top heavy and did tip over a few times when we tilted the face up or down. I would not use this fan around kids because little fingers could get cut off with a fan so close to ground but, for adults, the long ten foot cord makes it convenient to place wherever is best without the use of an extension cord.

The fan has three speeds on the back which you change by turning a simple little knob. It also has a handle on one side and two wheels on the other side to wheel the fan where you want to place it. That was a relief because the thing was so heavy to pick up and move.

It looks quite upscale but looks can be deceiving. We didn't realize until well after we had used the fan that it was a made primarily for industrial use and not for small apartments and senior citizens.

Once we set the fan up and plugged it in, we tilted it toward Dad and turned it on low. WOW! It was loud. My father was deaf and HE heard it! That setting was decent, circulating some air around the room. The medium setting was quite good at moving the air and blowing stuff around and the last setting - the high one - almost destroyed my father's apartment.

We had no idea how strong the wind from the fan would be and, when we switched the knob to high, everything in the place flew. This thing was like a mini hurricane. My father who, at the time, was in decent physical shape, stood up to check the fan out and his glasses flew right off his face. No lie!

Ironically though, the fan didn't cool the air much. It just wildly circulated the hot air and sent loose papers and other light objects flying around.

Another thing we noticed is that, when we tilted the fan upward so it wasn't directly on our father, the fan head would slowly creep back down after a while. It doesn't click into place. You just push the fan up or down and hope it stays in place.

The noise was crazy. That fan sounded like a train! I don't exactly know why it was so loud but it was, even on the lowest setting. The unit didn't get hot even when it ran for several hours. That was a huge relief. However, it was somewhat unsteady. For an expensive fan, it seems as though all the workmanship went into the actual fan and not the base that holds the fan up. Several times, we knocked the fan over while walking past it and only bumping into it. There is no safety turn off feature if the fan is knocked over.

It isn't a bad fan and it doesn't seem to be a safety hazard - it doesn't get too hot and the plug doesn't spark. It's just very loud and very, very powerful. It does circulate air but too much so unless used in a very large area.

Noisy, slightly unstable, and a windbag. No, not me, the fan! This fan is better suited for factories or large areas where noise and keeping light items in place isn't a factor.

I can't go with more than 3 stars for this wind machine. It's just TOO MUCH to be considered a good home fan, in my opinion.

I am not sure if I feel like crying or smiling when I think of my father's glasses flying off his face and us running to catch them when the fan was on high. It's a memory. But not one I will cherish.

For normal homes, this fan is overkill and will drive you crazy with its loudness and super wind circulation. If you are looking for a fan for industrial use, this one might fit your needs well.